


He Had A Home, Love Of A Girl

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Drama, Episode Tag, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-02-01
Updated: 2007-02-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 03:51:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15111212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: A woman definitely only wanted to see John Cusack underneath her window for these kinds of shenanigans.





	He Had A Home, Love Of A Girl

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

  
Author's notes: I too used the Don Henley song New York Minute for title inspiration.  


* * *

He stumbled in late; didn’t really know what time it was. Definitely after one o’clock and all he wanted was to cuddle in bed with the woman he loved. Sam hadn't meant to drink as much Bacardi as he had but the conversation with his father did not go well. He would probably be hung over in the morning and would never get Rod Stewart out of his brain. Tonight I'm yours, do anything that you want me to. 

Tish deserved a serious apology…for a week he had been blowing her off one way or another. Yes, there was so much work to do but that was no excuse. Wasn’t there always? He hoped she would for forgive him for being distant; for sleeping on the couch in Toby’s office for the past three days. He only answered her concerned, and then later frantic, voicemails with cryptic or dismissive replies. He had been the world’s lousiest boyfriend for the past six weeks. He had been a lousy human being for three days.

They both walked into the relationship with their eyes wide open…knew there would be times like this. She was busy with work too and was still dealing with the emotional aftermath of her brother’s death. Nevertheless, Sam had to make what he did right. It would definitely take more than some sweet talk. He deserved whatever punishment she saw fit to dole out; at least he thought he did. Maybe his agony would not have lasted so long if he had shared it with Tish in the first place. Right now, he didn’t even know why he hadn't done just that.

It was a surprise to find the bedroom empty. Tish’s alarm clock said 1:15. Well, it was Friday and there was little doubt she was pissed at him. She’d probably gone clubbing with the girls…was probably in the same shape he was in. The work clothes came off, left in a pile on the floor, and Sam slid between the sheets. What was he thinking, sleeping on that couch all those nights? God, it felt good to be on a mattress. It would feel better if he weren’t alone. The sheets smelled of Tish’s perfume. Sam wanted to cuddle with her pillow but she might need that when she came in. He said a silent prayer Rod Stewart would stop haunting him and he passed out.

***

He reached for her but found emptiness. OK, her not being there last night was plausible. Her absence this morning worrisome. The lack of hang over surprised Sam as he quickly jumped out of bed. Those pills Toby gave him last night before they started drinking actually worked. He went to the dresser to grab a tee shirt from the top drawer and was surprised to find it mostly empty. Tish kept her underwear and bras there…she never let it get down that low. That’s when he started to look around the room. Toiletries were missing, things were gone from the closet, even books and videotapes weren’t there. OK, what was going on? He found the folded piece of paper with his name on it on the dresser top.

Dear Sam,

I don’t even know what to say and obviously neither do you because I have not heard from you in three days. What happened between us? When did it get to the point where you weren’t even talking to me? I've packed some things and decided to leave; I will get the rest later. I'm sorry and I'm sure you are too but what can we do? Just give me some space and time. We will talk eventually if you even want to.

Tish

Oh my God, what had he done? How was he going to fix this? Rushing to dress in something appropriate, Sam dashed out of his apartment and into the brisk March morning. He ran the almost six blocks to the garage where he parked his Ford Mustang. His hands would not stop shaking as he tried to unlock the door and then start the ignition. It wasn’t until he got on the exit to I-95 that the Deputy got his first glimpse of the clock. 

7:45…this was definitely going to make a splash. For the first time in his life, well maybe the second, Sam Seaborn didn’t give a damn about propriety. He had to get her back. Everything was at risk and no gesture was too grand. He would do anything to rectify this situation, pushing away the feeling that it was impossible. 

***

The Chevy Chase neighborhood was sleeping. The 17 minutes Sam sat in his car contemplating his next move saw only one car drive by. There were no kids, lawn mowers, or even birds. It was too early in the morning to be doing this. Who did he think he was, Lloyd Dobler? A woman definitely only wanted to see John Cusack underneath her window for these kinds of shenanigans. He took a deep breath, got out of the car, and went to ring the bell. Whoever opened the door was not going to be happy to see him so Sam wouldn’t let that affect him.

“Who’s there please?”

Sam breathed a sigh of relief; it was Kimmy. She wouldn’t hate him and he had a chance of getting through the door. Thank the Lord.

“Kimmy, it’s Sam. Can I come in please?”

“Oh sure.”

He listened to the locks come undone and she pulled the door open.

“Why are you here so early?” she asked.

“I need to talk to Tish. She’s here right?”

“Uh huh. She cried herself to sleep last night. What did you do to her?”

“I…” he couldn’t say he didn’t do anything. That was clearly misleading. “I forgot how important she was.”

“Daddy does that sometimes. Then he buys mom flowers and takes her on trips. He just works so much he forgets things. But mom doesn’t cry like Tish did. You must have really messed up.”

“Something like that. I'm just going to talk with her.”

“She’s asleep.”

Sam asked if it would be alright to go to her room.

“Sure, but if daddy catches you, I didn’t let you in.”

“Deal.”

Sam took the stairs two at a time; he knew where her bedroom was. Outside he placed the palm of his hand on the closed door. How was he going to do this? What could he possibly say? Well, he could only do his best. She was sound asleep in bed…Sam cringed at the thought of her crying herself to sleep. He closed the door behind him and sat on the side of the bed.

“Tish.” He touched her shoulder; watched her open her eyes.

She nearly jumped a mile when fully awake, pushing him away from her.

“Get out!” she checked her tone. The last thing that needed to happen was her parents waking up. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“You write a note telling me you're leaving me and you think I was just going to let that sit?”

“I didn’t really think you would notice.”

“That’s not fair Tish.”

“Not fair! Fuck you! You haven’t been home in three days and I know you were avoiding me. You don’t have to do it anymore because I'm gone.”

“Please just give me a chance to explain. I know I screwed up but there is an explanation. Just give me a chance.” He reached out for her.

“Don’t touch me Sam, and don’t even bother with your bullshit explanation. You'll just say it was the White House…it’s your ready made excuse. I don't want to hear it anymore. How dumb do you think I am?”

“The White House is part of it, but…”

“Stop lying to me!” Tish exclaimed. “Look, get the hell out. I didn't ask you to come here and I don’t want to talk. I've had a pretty long week. You had no right to barge in here like this.”

“I had a long week too, and I had every right.”

“Spare me. Your problems are not mine anymore. Tell it to Ainsley Hayes; it’s her problem now.”

“What does Ainsley have to do with this?”

“Look at your face. You're still as sweet as an altar boy when you lie to me.”

“Lie to you about what? I have never lied to you and I don’t know what you're talking about.”

“I'm talking about the reason you haven’t been home in three days. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you talk about her. You certainly can't say you hate her anymore.”

“Yes, we’re friends. We…oh my God. Tish, you think I…”

“Oh just shut up. Shut the hell up.” She got out of bed. “I don't want to hear the lies and you can spare me the sad eyes. You could’ve just told me. You could’ve been a man about it.”

“There’s nothing to tell you!” Sam shouted. “I'm not sleeping with Ainsley. I would never cheat on you. How could you think that?”

“Please.” She rolled her eyes. “Am I really supposed to believe that work kept you out all night? You canceled dinner with me on Tuesday night and fell off the face of the Earth. I wasn’t born yesterday and I'm not falling for it.”

“Well you must have been born yesterday if you think I would do something like that to you. I guess the past almost two years mean nothing to you.”

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that.” her eyes flashed.

“You want to know why I canceled dinner on Tuesday?” he asked.

“I don’t give a damn. Just fuck it.”

“My mother called me and she was distraught. I didn’t know how to react; she’s not the emotional type. So I asked her what was wrong. It turns out she discovered my father was having an affair. They have been married for 35 years and for 28 he had a women set up in an apartment in Malibu. My father never had time for us and its possibly because he had another family that he deemed more important. So no, I would never do that to you. I may be a lot of things Tish, an idiot, a fool, even an asshole, but an infidel, no.”

“That’s a sad story. Your father is a jerkoff Sam. What the hell does that have to do with your disappearing act? How long do you think you can use the foolishness of your parents as an excuse for your own? You were the one who didn’t come home for three days, not your father.”

“I don’t know. I just…I buried myself in work. I didn’t know what to say, or do; work was all I knew. I wanted to talk to you Tish, I was desperate to, but I looked up and it was Friday. I don’t even know how I made it as long as I did. Leo threatened to send me home today…I was a mess.”

“Do you have any idea how much it hurt to be brushed aside?” she asked, holding her chest. “It broke my heart. I can't be second to everything anymore. I won't be.”

“And I can't live without you. I love you and we can work this out. I made a big mistake, and I am ready to do whatever I have to to make it right.”

“When Sam? Between traveling with the President, speeches, and God knows what else, when are you going to find the time. OK, so you say you weren’t cheating? I guess I believe you. That doesn’t mean I'm coming back to you. I just don’t think…”

“Don’t think honey, just come home.” Sam got up and stood in front of her. “Please Tish; do you want me to beg? Do you want me to get on my knees?”

“No Sam.”

He got on his knees.

“Please give me one more chance. I don’t want to live without you…I don’t want to be alone. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to devote everyday to showing you just how much I love you. There are going to be things that take me away from you but I am always thinking of you. Always.”

“Sam, get up. Seriously, you do not need to do this. Its not helping.”

“Tish, I love you so much.”

“I know. Sam please get up.”

He sighed, standing up. Tish ran her hands over her face.

“I just need space; I need to think. I asked you to give me space and you completely disregard that.”

“Marry me.”

“What?”

He pulled the ring box from his windbreaker pocket. Tish backed away from him. He was supposed to wait; surprise her on their anniversary. It didn’t matter now though…it was now or never.

“Sam…”

“Just answer me. Follow your heart and answer. Will you marry me?”

“You cannot do this to me. This is not the time.”

He went to get on his knees again but Tish stopped him.

“Please don’t.” she said, tears rolling down her cheek. “Don’t you know how much I love you? That doesn’t mean what we had is going to work.”

“Had? Honey, we still have it. We don't need anything; we want to be together. I know we can be happy. We are happy.”

“How can you be so sure? This is bound to happen again.”

“It will. I'm neglectful sometimes. I am busy, and sometimes stupid. So are you Tish…we’re human. Hell, Kimmy tells me your father is too. I'm sure of this too; I love you and you love me. We will take care of each other, laugh, have good times, and even have hellacious fights. Nothing is ever going to change how we feel about each other. Please marry me.”

Tish nodded. She knew no matter what happened she would never stop loving Sam. Her heart ached thinking of life without him. The past week had been excruciating. She never wanted to feel this way again.

“Yes.” She finally breathed. “Yes, I’ll marry you. I must be clean out of my mind.”

Sam held her and they both cried. He had much more to say…wanted to apologize until he was blue in the face. It was important for him to express how sorry he was for what he’d done.

“I'm sorry Tish. I'm so so sorry. I should have handled the entire situation differently. I never meant to hurt you and I will never forgive myself.”

“I know. We will sit down and talk about it. We need to deal with a lot of things.”

“Yeah. Give me your hand.”

She did, and Sam slipped the two carat platinum ring on her finger. Then he kissed her hand.

“Come home with me. I’ll make breakfast and we’ll talk.”

“I'm not ready to come back yet. You're going to have me a little time. Did your father really…?”

“Yeah. We’ll talk about that too.”

Tish nodded. There was a knock on the door and Ted McTiernan poked his head in.

“Is everything alright? Did I hear shouting?”

“We were having a fight Senator. Everything is alright now.”

“Tishy?” her father looked at her.

“We’re fine dad. Sam and I are going to get some breakfast and talk some more.”

“Alright.”

He left and the couple just looked at each other.

“I love you.”

“I love you too Sparky. C’mon, I need food and we have a lot to talk about.”

“Yeah.”

Sam pulled her close, kissing her. Tish stroked the nape of his neck.

“IHop in town should be open.” She said. 

“I'm not having the waffles. The last time I ate those, things did not go very well.”

Tish smiled.

“Sam, this can't happen again. If I'm going to be your wife, if I'm going to be anything to you, you have to trust me. You are not in this by yourself anymore. I can take it but you have to give me the opportunity. If you think you would rather keep it yourself this will never work.”

“I know. There is no excuse for my behavior. Everything with my parents came on the heels of a lousy six weeks. I handled it badly and I won't do it again.”

“OK. I need to get dressed. Will you wait downstairs?”

Sam nodded, kissing her again and telling her that he loved her. He was going to make this up to her and be a good husband. As long as Tish was by his side, the ride would be worth every second of the good and bad.

***


End file.
